


Way to Blue Departure

by DJBunn3



Category: Free!
Genre: Airplanes, Confused Haru, Crushes, Day 4 - Globetrotting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hotels, M/M, Matsuoka Rin & Nanase Haruka & Australia, Pining, Rinharu Week 2016
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-07 19:44:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7727446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DJBunn3/pseuds/DJBunn3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He accepts the small airline cup and the miniature package of cookies the man slips in with it, even though he’s not hungry, setting them down on his otherwise empty tray.<br/>“Thanks,” he mumbles, which causes the siblings to remember their manners.<br/>“Thank you!” they chorus in unison, and Haru wonders if that’s a sibling thing or just a side effect of living together their whole lives, because Rin and Kou still pull that off without even trying.<br/>He’s nervous, for some reason, about seeing Rin, despite the fact that they’d seen each other in Iwatobi less than forty eight hours ago. Maybe it’s the fact that they’ll be together in a different country, or something like that. Haru tries to remember what it felt like last time, when he and Rin came here together, but he can’t pull the feeling from his mind.</p><p>Or: If you thought Rin was over-reactive, try Haru when he has a crush, because apparently his brain doesn't know how to handle it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Way to Blue Departure

There’s something about hotels that Haru just doesn’t like.  
It’s not so much the fact that other people, strangers, have slept in the bed he’s sleeping in than the fact that it’s not _his_ bed. And it’s not _his_ room or Makoto’s or Nagisa’s or Rin’s. It isn’t anybody’s room, and that scares him a little.  
Plus, hotels are always clean, even after he’s been there a few days, and he’s never liked imagining the cleaning men and ladies having to clean up after him.  
So no, Haru does not like hotels. Or airports.  
“Where are we supposed to go?” Makoto asks, looking around nervously. “It’s so big. I’m gonna call Rin again.”  
“Rin already left,” Haru replies, deflating a little. He doesn't want to fly alone, not when he could have just as easily gone a day earlier, on the same flight as his friend. But Rin had already booked a seat when Makoto invited Haru to the Tachibana’s family house on the same day he was leaving, and now here they are.  
“Gate 205? Which way is that?” Makoto asks panickedly, snapping Haru out of his thoughts. “I take offense at that,” he adds a second later.  
“What did he say?” Haru asks, wishing they were somewhere quiet where Makoto could put Rin on speakerphone and they can finally talk.  
Makoto covers the lower end of the phone with his hand. “He said I was as bad as Sousuke,” he explains. “Wait, slow down! I didn’t get that, can you say it again?”  
Haru glances at the huge arrival and departure screens to their right. Rin will be landing in Australia soon, which means they’ll be on their own in terms of locating his gate.  
“Are you sure? That soon?” Makoto grabs Haru’s arm and starts pulling him back the way they came from. “Okay. Don’t worry, we’re not gonna miss it. We’ve got tons of time before- What?!”  
“What is it?” Haru asks, stumbling after him.  
“We’re really late!” Makoto exclaims, before continuing to yell into the phone. “Okay Rin, I have to go. See you later bye!”  
The two of them take off as fast as they can go, running towards the gate. As if to make them rush even more, the speakers crackle to life with the announcement, “Flight 610 to Sydney, Australia will start boarding in thirty minutes.”  
“I thought you said we had time!” Haru exclaims.  
“I thought we did!” Makoto replies. “Hurry!”  
His carry on hits someone in the shin, he trips over his own feet more than once, and by the time they reach the gate he’s gasping for breath. But they make it.  
The man at the boarding desk gives them a strange look, but Haru ignores it. “Hi,” Makoto says. “You haven’t started boarding yet, have you?”  
“Not yet,” the man replies. “We don’t start for another forty five minutes.  
Yes, Haru thinks, he _really_ does hate airports.

* * *

His legs are cramped and uncomfortable from the limited legroom, and Haru wonders how people like Makoto or Mikoshiba (the big one) or Yamazaki fit in these seats. He’s sat next to a girl and her younger brother, (he’s guessing,) who seem to be absorbed in their books and thankfully aren’t talkative.  
Sighing, Haru glances out the window. There’s nothing much to see besides miles of blankety white clouds that remind him he’s staying in a hotel tonight. Not one of those nice, homey hotels with three floors and cute bedspreads, but one of the stuffy fancy ones that are just variations of smooth, creamy walls, and white furniture with dark spruce or metal legs.  
At least Rin will be with him to make things a little more bearable. If nothing else, he’ll at least add a splash of color to the whiteness.  
The little boy taps him on the shoulder, and Haru turns around. There’s a flight attendant standing in the aisle, looking expectantly at him.  
“Sorry, what was that?” he mumbles. The attendant smiles placidly.  
“Would you like to order anything off our menu?” he asks. “Or could I get you something to drink, maybe?”  
“I’ll just have water,” Haru says, adding “please,” as an afterthought. He accepts the small airline cup and the miniature package of cookies the man slips in with it, even though he’s not hungry, setting them down on his otherwise empty tray.  
“Thanks,” he mumbles, which causes the siblings to remember their manners.  
“Thank you!” they chorus in unison, and Haru wonders if that’s a sibling thing or just a side effect of living together their whole lives, because Rin and Kou still pull that off without even trying.  
For a second he wants to give them his cookies, before he remembers that it’s not socially acceptable for a strange man to hand two innocent kids sweets.  
He drinks his water and dozes off, and doesn’t really dream about anything, and by the time he wakes up they’re landing and he has an amazing view of Sydney at night. It’s lit up bright and big and exciting, unlike Iwatobi’s soft glow. Or maybe it’s just his imagination.  
The siblings scoot out of their seats and into the aisle, disappearing into the swarm of tired, cramped passengers. Haru waits until everyone previously sitting behind him has passed, pretending to be busy with his bag. Only when the plane is almost deserted does he stand to leave.  
He’s nervous, for some reason, about seeing Rin, despite the fact that they’d seen each other in Iwatobi less than forty eight hours ago. Maybe it’s the fact that they’re together in a different country, now, or something like that. Haru tries to remember what it felt like last time, when he and Rin came here together, but he can’t pull the feeling from his mind.  
Once he gets past the weird boarding tunnel and the general swarm of people, he spots Rin easily. A flash of red hair in the crowd, moving through the passengers deftly and elegantly despite his muscled build.  
Haru waits for Rin to notice him, first. When he does, he breaks into a smile and strides over and says, “Well, hello there,” and Haru thinks he’s beautiful.  
That’s definitely new. Maybe it’s another Sydney thing. Did he feel this way in Iwatobi a few hours ago?  
“Hi,” he manages. Rin smiles even bigger, and it’s not fair because suddenly his heart is pounding in his chest and he can’t hear anything over its hummingbird-rivaling beat.  
Rin seems to have said something, but he hadn’t heard. “What?” Haru asks. “I can’t hear you.”  
“Let’s get to the hotel,” Rin repeats himself, a little louder. “Do you have more bags?”  
Shaking his head, Haru manages to get his emotions under control. “This is all I packed,” he says.  
“Idiot. How are you supposed to survive with just that?” Rin asks. “On the other hand, I think I overpacked. You can borrow some of my clothes.”  
Taking his hand, (Haru tries to stay calm,) Rin leads them through the airport with much better direction than Makoto had had earlier. “I know you’re probably tired, but the hotel’s a good twenty minutes away from the airport,” he apologizes.  
“I slept on the plane,” Haru replies, although he does still feel groggy.  
“I’m surprised you made it on in time, considering Makoto was the one responsible for you,” Rin teases. “I think he’s been spending a little too much time with Sousuke.”  
Haru just nods absently. “Uh huh,” he says, focusing on the feeling of Rin’s hand in his. It’s warm, and as calloused as his own, and molds to him like they were meant to fit together like this.  
Rin glances down at their linked fingers, and Haru realizes he’s been staring. He looks away and loosens his grip, but Rin just holds on tighter.  
“I think you’re gonna have a really great time here,” he says, running his thumb over Haru’s index knuckle gently. His heart swells with joy.  
They reach the taxi much too soon for his liking, and then Rin’s dropping his hand to hold the car door open. Rin says something to the taxi driver, probably directions to get to the hotel, and slides in after Haru.  
There’s about an inch of space between their legs. Haru tries to think of something besides Rin, the only thing he’s thought of since his feet touched the airport floor. And probably before that, too, but it’s never been the center of his attention like it is now and it’s kind of scaring him.  
He thought of Rin as _beautiful_ , and he still thinks that it’s true. Rin _is_ beautiful, anyone could see that, but isn’t it strange to think about it like that now that they’re friends? Is it?  
Experimentally, Haru moves his leg a fraction of an inch and side-eyes Rin. He’s staring at his phone, his eyebrows scrunched up in that way that makes him look younger, like those cute little kids on the plane. He’s not paying attention to anything, so Haru moves his leg a little more until it brushes against Rin’s jeans.  
He plays with the end of his sleeve, waiting for Rin to shift away from him. Instead, he feels a gentle pressure at his side, and then Rin’s pressed against him, and wow he’s warm. Glancing to his right, he sees that Rin’s eyes are still on his screen, but his chin is tucked down into his collar, and his cheeks and ears are a little pink.  
Haru snaps his own eyes back in front of him. It’s probably just the night air.

* * *

Then, they’re in front of the hotel and Haru’s not thinking about Rin because he’s thinking about beds that don’t belong to anybody and how sad and strange that is. Rin checks in for them, while Haru stares down the room service carts and fancy furniture.  
“You look upset,” Rin says when he comes back. “Did something happen?”  
Haru shakes his head. “I just don’t like hotels,” he says. Rin scoffs playfully.  
“What’s not to like?” he asks, looking around and sweeping his hands in grand gestures. Haru drags him to the elevators on the way.  
“They’re strange,” he explains. “They’re just buildings filled with empty rooms. It’s not like staying in a place you _know_ or something.”  
“That’s what’s fun about them,” Rin replies. “The room you’re staying in; it’s fresh, but at the same time, it’s not. I can’t explain it, but it’s exciting.”  
Haru shrugs, stepping inside the elevator. He still doesn’t like it.  
“I mean, it’s a change of pace for me to stay somewhere _other_ than my dorm. It’s fun.”  
“It’s stressful,” Haru argues. The elevator chimes twice, and the doors slide open. Rin grabs his bag before he can argue, and they head down the hall.  
Unlocking the door, Rin turns back to him. “I left your key inside,” he explains, and as Haru moves inside, Rin’s hand brushes against the small of his back. He jumps, moving inside quickly before he does something stupid, like think too much into it.  
Rin drops Haru’s bag next to his own beside the futon, then moves to sit on the bed. “Here,” he says, tossing something Haru’s direction. It’s a chocolate square, with the hotel logo embossed on the shiny gold wrapping.  
Haru digs around in his pocket until his hands rest on the airplane biscuits he’d neglected to eat, and together they share a mini dessert.  
“You know,” Rin says, smiling happily. “That’s probably the best meal I’ve had all day.”  
“Then you’re not eating very well,” Haru replies, but he smiles just a little. Rin has a smudge of chocolate across his lip, and suddenly…  
Suddenly Haru’s leaning in to kiss it off.  
When he pulls away, Rin looks surprised. “What was that for?” he asks, an embarrassed smile spreading its way across his face.  
“Hm…” Haru fakes deliberation. “I guess I’m in love with you.”  
Rin makes an adorable squeak of surprise. “Oh…” he says, blushing. “It, uh, took you that long?”  
Haru throws a pillow at him. _Hard,_  
“Okay! Okay!” he relents. “And, uh, I love you, too.”

* * *

Rin doesn’t sleep on the futon, as originally planned. They curl up together on the bed, and Haru thinks that maybe hotels aren’t so bad after all.


End file.
